Lightning May Have Caused Seapowet Avenue Fire, Say Tiverton Fire Officials

Lightning from a passing storm could have contributed in Saturday's at 891 Seapowet Ave. in Tiverton, according to fire department officials.

Capt. Mark Reimels said a two alarm sounded at approximately 12:27 p.m. on Saturday, July 23 at the Seapowet Avenue residence. No one was home at the time. The house was not completely destroyed but the entire first floor and roof were heavily damaged.

Several departments from surrounding communities responded and Reimels said it took about three hours to get the fire under control. Reimels added they were on scene for a few additional hours cleaning up and conducting the investigation with the fire marshal.

"The fire did get reported to us around the same time a lightning storm was coming through," he said on Monday. "That's a strong possibility."

Capt. Kevin Ratcliffe, who was acting chief during Saturday's blaze, said on Monday that the cause still has not been determined.

"Most likely the lightning is part of the cause, if not the actual cause," he said.

Reimels said some firefighters were treated on scene for heat exhaustion but no one was sent to the hospital. He added there was one room on the first floor where most of the furniture and belongings were salvaged, and the belongings in the basement only had smoke and water damage.

"The firefighters on scene did an incredible job holding the fire considering we didn't have a readily available water supply and considering the weather conditions," said Reimels.

Fire departments from , Portsmouth, Middletown, Bristol, Warren, Westport, Fall River and Dartmouth assisted in battling the blaze.